The yacht, only supposed to hold a handful of people, was said to have been named after the grandmother of its original owner. He came into my store to buy from me," del Conde said.ĭel Conde bought the Granma from an American couple for the Cubans and loaded it with weapons and fuel. "I met him around 1955 at an arms dealership I had. He changed my life, like he changed the lives of many people in different countries around the world, not just in the Americas," del Conde said in an interview at his home in Mexico City.Ĭuban leader Raul Castro said his brother died on Friday (November 25) evening, almost 60 years to the day since Fidel and a band of armed comrades left Tuxpan to start the revolution which ultimately overthrew U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.įidel Castro died at 90 years old, the same age as del Conde.Ī sepia-toned photograph hung on the wall of del Conde's scattered apartment in a colonial part of the city showing del Conde drinking malt beer over dinner with Fidel, Raul and left-wing icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara after the revolution.ĭel Conde first met Castro in 1955, when the young leader walked into his arms shop in Mexico City saying that he wanted to buy something.
"When a friend and comrade told me, because I had just arrived to Tuxpan, I couldn't speak. Mexico City gun dealer Antonio del Conde, nicknamed "The Friend", met Castro in the 1950s and bought him the "Granma" for his departure from the Mexican Gulf coast town of Tuxpan to lead the insurgency, where after they became friends.ĭel Conde said he was speechless when he learned of Castro's death. Story Text: The man who helped a young Fidel Castro set sail for revolution remembered his old friend on Saturday (November 26), saying he was speechless over his death exactly 60 years after he furnished Castro with a weapons-filled yacht for his voyage to Cuba.City: MEXICO CITY, TUXPAN, VERACRUZ STATE, MEXICO AND HAVANA, CUBA.Location: MEXICO CITY, TUXPAN, VERACRUZ STATE, MEXICO AND HAVANA, CUBA.Keywords: Cuba Fidel Castro death Granma boat Antonio del Conde.We all stood up and applauded."ĭEL CONDE SPEAKING WITH ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPH I asked for a round of applause for the commander, Fidel Castro. Of course I asked for a round of applause for him when I spoke. "We prepared the expedition in my boat, in the Granma yacht, and just yesterday in Tuxpan, we celebrated the Granma's voyage of 60 years ago. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FRIEND OF FIDEL CASTRO'S WHO HELPED HIM SECURE THE GRANMA YACHT TO RETURN TO CUBA, ANTONIO DEL CONDE, SAYING: Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FRIEND OF FIDEL CASTRO'S WHO HELPED HIM SECURE THE GRANMA YACHT TO RETURN TO CUBA, ANTONIO DEL CONDE, SAYING:.Title: Man behind Fidel Castro's "Granma" yacht mourns revolutionary.
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